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3.13 AVERAGE
3.13 AVERAGE
Nothing thrilling happened. Nothing exciting. Lots of predictable things. There was one exciting part near the end but even that was fairly boring.
Deep Water is a solid debut novel that will appeal to those who enjoy atmospheric mysteries with a nautical twist. With its correct terminology and captivating setting, the book earns a rating of 3.5 out of 5. While it falls slightly short of being a gripping thriller, it offers an intriguing and suspenseful reading experience.
Great writing. The concept seemed interesting, and it was… it just was missing “something”.
“She breathed in the air. Wind in her hair and wide blue all around. Nothing to do but enjoy the ride; nothing behind them - nothing that mattered, anyway - and everything ahead. The future, and all that lay within it.”
For some of us, the call of the sea is persistent and alluring. For couples like Virginie and Jake, they’re willing to leave their old life behind in favour of a life at sea discovering exotic locales and living each day on their own terms. Newlywed and craving adventure, the Brits pump all their savings into a yacht and set sail from Malaysia to Amarante, an idyllic but forgotten island with pristine beaches in the Indian Ocean. Heady with romance, adventure and a promise of new beginnings, they soon discover that even the most beautiful waters in the world can’t wash away the past.
“Wanting something desperately can hurt just as much before all hope is lost as it does after.”
After weeks at sea, they arrive only to find that there are a few others with the same idea. They get along great with the other couples until Jake’s sailboat needs a repair and from there … the ceiling on ‘paradise found’ is shattered. When they are discovered (the opening of the book) by a navy ship one of them is emaciated and the other is unconscious…and there’s a LOT of blood on the deck. One of them confesses, “It’s all my fault. I killed them.” What happened? How did a trip of a lifetime turn into a murdering rampage on the high seas?
Knowledgeable of marine terminology and able to ramp up the initial tension, Bamford’s setting is intriguing. The Wayfinder sailboat is the perfect claustrophobic setting and the Indian Ocean, the perfect favoured playground of the rich and newly retired. What began as an intense thriller with lots of potential, soon evened out like a ship regaining equilibrium after a rogue wave. All the intense moments that comprise a good thriller were at the beginning and then the book settles into an investigation of life at sea.
However, (big pause) this was still a good book. I just changed genres in my head to continue. When I saw it more as a misadventure at sea than an intense thriller, it became, for me, a good account of exploring the dark side of paradise and life at sea by someone who has actually lived and explored what she writes about ...for years. Bamford, a yachtie and a high seas adventurer, was inspired by one of the Indian Ocean Chago Islands, which became her fictional Amarante.
Bamford explores how our dream of paradise and our clambering to experience it can push us to our limits. Her in-depth examination of how far we’ll go to save our marriage is thought-provoking….does it matter if it’s 6 days, 6 months or 6 years married? It was also interesting to note that the lure of money and its problems were still found in the middle of the ocean. One would think that the deep blue would equalize and that a common bond would unite. It was good to be reminded that there’s no escaping it if it’s a game you wish to play.
The author is also more focussed on the unravelling of tension and the lazy, hazy endless days at sea. Readers will realize that not every day at sea is glamorous with exotic locales on the other end of a set of binoculars. There are days of ‘nothingness’ and days when supplies are getting low and anxiety sets in and there are also days when the silence wears you down. The remoteness finally kicks in and there’s a wedge for anxiety to blossom. Bamford also brings to light the role of a captain and the necessary importance of insight and wisdom in conjunction with reliance on his quick reaction time. Perhaps Jake and Vee weren’t as well equipped as they thought they were.
This is a good book for those who are interested in life at sea, kicking the landlubber life, or need a good dose of reality - not everything is as it appears.
I was gifted this book by Emma Bamford, Simon & Schuster Canada, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
For some of us, the call of the sea is persistent and alluring. For couples like Virginie and Jake, they’re willing to leave their old life behind in favour of a life at sea discovering exotic locales and living each day on their own terms. Newlywed and craving adventure, the Brits pump all their savings into a yacht and set sail from Malaysia to Amarante, an idyllic but forgotten island with pristine beaches in the Indian Ocean. Heady with romance, adventure and a promise of new beginnings, they soon discover that even the most beautiful waters in the world can’t wash away the past.
“Wanting something desperately can hurt just as much before all hope is lost as it does after.”
After weeks at sea, they arrive only to find that there are a few others with the same idea. They get along great with the other couples until Jake’s sailboat needs a repair and from there … the ceiling on ‘paradise found’ is shattered. When they are discovered (the opening of the book) by a navy ship one of them is emaciated and the other is unconscious…and there’s a LOT of blood on the deck. One of them confesses, “It’s all my fault. I killed them.” What happened? How did a trip of a lifetime turn into a murdering rampage on the high seas?
Knowledgeable of marine terminology and able to ramp up the initial tension, Bamford’s setting is intriguing. The Wayfinder sailboat is the perfect claustrophobic setting and the Indian Ocean, the perfect favoured playground of the rich and newly retired. What began as an intense thriller with lots of potential, soon evened out like a ship regaining equilibrium after a rogue wave. All the intense moments that comprise a good thriller were at the beginning and then the book settles into an investigation of life at sea.
However, (big pause) this was still a good book. I just changed genres in my head to continue. When I saw it more as a misadventure at sea than an intense thriller, it became, for me, a good account of exploring the dark side of paradise and life at sea by someone who has actually lived and explored what she writes about ...for years. Bamford, a yachtie and a high seas adventurer, was inspired by one of the Indian Ocean Chago Islands, which became her fictional Amarante.
Bamford explores how our dream of paradise and our clambering to experience it can push us to our limits. Her in-depth examination of how far we’ll go to save our marriage is thought-provoking….does it matter if it’s 6 days, 6 months or 6 years married? It was also interesting to note that the lure of money and its problems were still found in the middle of the ocean. One would think that the deep blue would equalize and that a common bond would unite. It was good to be reminded that there’s no escaping it if it’s a game you wish to play.
The author is also more focussed on the unravelling of tension and the lazy, hazy endless days at sea. Readers will realize that not every day at sea is glamorous with exotic locales on the other end of a set of binoculars. There are days of ‘nothingness’ and days when supplies are getting low and anxiety sets in and there are also days when the silence wears you down. The remoteness finally kicks in and there’s a wedge for anxiety to blossom. Bamford also brings to light the role of a captain and the necessary importance of insight and wisdom in conjunction with reliance on his quick reaction time. Perhaps Jake and Vee weren’t as well equipped as they thought they were.
This is a good book for those who are interested in life at sea, kicking the landlubber life, or need a good dose of reality - not everything is as it appears.
I was gifted this book by Emma Bamford, Simon & Schuster Canada, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
3.5-4. I liked the writing style but some parts were a little slow for me
I genuinely liked this book.
The setting was perfection, the plot was exciting, and I'll read just about anything that is water related. And the addition of a boat? Oh yeah, you've got me.
While I enjoyed this novel, I will say that it took a turn I wasn't expecting or hoping for. While I liked many of the characters in Deep Water, I didn't connect with the main characters at all. This could be due to me feeling the need to connect with everyone on some level haha!
However, I was hoping for more about the island itself. It seemed to have more of a history that could've been explored. Some of the circumstances in this novel would seem farfetched to me if it weren't for the fact that I know there are some...stubborn people in this world and I feel as though I know half of them.
I am very interested in reading more from Emma Bamford. I love the locations she chooses and as long as we stay near the water, she's got a reader. Looking forward to more of her books!
The setting was perfection, the plot was exciting, and I'll read just about anything that is water related. And the addition of a boat? Oh yeah, you've got me.
While I enjoyed this novel, I will say that it took a turn I wasn't expecting or hoping for. While I liked many of the characters in Deep Water, I didn't connect with the main characters at all. This could be due to me feeling the need to connect with everyone on some level haha!
However, I was hoping for more about the island itself. It seemed to have more of a history that could've been explored. Some of the circumstances in this novel would seem farfetched to me if it weren't for the fact that I know there are some...stubborn people in this world and I feel as though I know half of them.
I am very interested in reading more from Emma Bamford. I love the locations she chooses and as long as we stay near the water, she's got a reader. Looking forward to more of her books!
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is a weird one because it's a good example of a bad book written by a clearly competent author. Somehow this rankles me more than a plainly bad book. It was perfectly readable and the descriptions of the environment, sailing, interactions, etc were good. Beyond that however it just didn't emotionally connect at all. The other reviews that mention deeply unlikable characters, cringe themes of white fragility, pacing issues, uncomplicated complications, all make very good points.
Overarching all of it, for me, is that I could not buy into the mystery and romance and passion of the place or the characters. That is the fundament you need to build up for the 'downfall' to feel meaningful in this kind of story. Instead of comparing it to The Ruins, as other reviewers have done, I think of The Island, which follows the same basic pattern. That book works because it really makes you believe in the (at least the character's) dream of the place - the holy grail! It makes you believe in the character's relationship to it as part of his life's journey, how that relates to the reader's life journey, how this relates to how humanity idealises "unspoiled" places and how seeking necessarily spoils. That's why everything that happens afterwards hurts so much. This book made me feel none of that, and so everything fell flat. I'm sorry!
Overarching all of it, for me, is that I could not buy into the mystery and romance and passion of the place or the characters. That is the fundament you need to build up for the 'downfall' to feel meaningful in this kind of story. Instead of comparing it to The Ruins, as other reviewers have done, I think of The Island, which follows the same basic pattern. That book works because it really makes you believe in the (at least the character's) dream of the place - the holy grail! It makes you believe in the character's relationship to it as part of his life's journey, how that relates to the reader's life journey, how this relates to how humanity idealises "unspoiled" places and how seeking necessarily spoils. That's why everything that happens afterwards hurts so much. This book made me feel none of that, and so everything fell flat. I'm sorry!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Trafficking
Minor: Drug use, Alcohol
I thought this was a great slow burn 'locked room' thriller. The creeping tension as Virginie and Jake arrive on the island is engrossing. I loved the ideallic setting of Amarante which gradually gets more and more claustrophobic and creepy as the suspense builds. The descriptions of the island make you feel like you have been there too. The characters were interesting and there were some unexpected twists which I loved. This would be a great holiday read!
With the comparison to The Ruins in the blurb, I was expecting something totally different. I wanted ghosts or some sort of insidious creepy unexplainable thing. (The ruins is terrifying and full of body horror) This was fine, I liked the setting, but the characters were naive and unlikable so I didn't really care about them.
I really wanted to like this book but it turns out I feel right in line with the good read stating of 3.47 - I rounded to 3.5 :)
Who would guess that a trip to a desolate tropical island in the Indian Ocean would turn into a survival mission? Certainly not Virginie and her husband Jake who have gathered their life savings for the trip of their lifetime. One they arrive at Amarante they are met by several other people visiting the island. After about a month into their two month stay things start to go wrong and people aren’t who they said they were. Will Virginie and Jake make it off the island in one piece?
This book just fell flat. It was almost too descriptive and I found myself skipping portions because I was bored. It just didn’t keep me engaged and I disliked how the book switch character POVs without telling the reader - annoying! Special thanks to @netgalley for a copy of this book from the public catalog in exchange for an honest review.
Who would guess that a trip to a desolate tropical island in the Indian Ocean would turn into a survival mission? Certainly not Virginie and her husband Jake who have gathered their life savings for the trip of their lifetime. One they arrive at Amarante they are met by several other people visiting the island. After about a month into their two month stay things start to go wrong and people aren’t who they said they were. Will Virginie and Jake make it off the island in one piece?
This book just fell flat. It was almost too descriptive and I found myself skipping portions because I was bored. It just didn’t keep me engaged and I disliked how the book switch character POVs without telling the reader - annoying! Special thanks to @netgalley for a copy of this book from the public catalog in exchange for an honest review.